THERE’S just two months left to get signed up for the 15th Coventry Lions Walkathon and raise hundreds of pounds for your chosen charity.

The Leofric Lions are hoping this year’s event, in the War Memorial Park on Sunday May 16, will be bigger and better than ever.

Participants can complete as many 1.75-mile laps of the park as they wish and raise money for any charity or organisation.

Since the event started 14 years ago more than £150,000 has been raised for various causes.

Last year’s most successful team was a group from Moat House Primary School, in Deedmore Road, Wood End, which raised £2,050 in memory of 27-year-old Paul Ward, who died from a rare type of kidney cancer called Wilms’ Tumour.

The team of about 40 people was organised by Elaine Hancocks, who works with Paul’s mum Pat at the school.

The money raised from the walk sponsorship, and prizes from the fancy dress competition, has gone to a fund set up to pay for more research into Wilms’ Tumour, which usually affects children.

Paul, who was a Cardiff University graduate and worked as an accountant, died in 2008.

The money raised at the walkathon boosted the total raised in his memory to £13,750, which has been sent to Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones.

She is based at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, and is carrying out research into the disease.

Professor Pritchard-Jones said: “Thank you again so much for the wonderful donation towards my team’s research into Wilms’ Tumour.

“It came at just the right time and has allowed us to really extend the analyses we can do on samples from patients treated in the current national clinical trial of Wilms’ Tumour treatment.

“This will help us to improve the way we decide how much treatment each child needs, and will help us see if any of the children who unfortunately relapse might benefit from some of the new drugs.”

Event organiser Reg Brown said the response from the professor shows how much good the walkathon can do.

People who do not have a specific charity to walk for can raise money for the event’s nominated charity, which this year is Diabetes UK.

Walkers can win an extra £100 for their charity by taking part in the fancy dress competition, which will be judged by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Coun Jack Harrison, and Lions President Ken Brown. The compere will be Brody Swain, from Touch FM.